Meet the young and talented multidisciplinary creative whose fresh new take is making waves in the world of online fashion and beyond.

In collaboration with SHEIN X, which offers emerging designers around the world the opportunity to showcase their creations to a global market, Miriam Omar&rsquo;s latest designs from her new collection titled "Walk in the Meadow&rdquo; has made her a name to watch not only in art and design, but also fashion. 
Broadcasted live via the SHEIN app and its official YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages recently, the #SHEINFORALL Spring/Summer 2022 Virtual Runway Show was a concept catwalk that admirably championed the season's eye-catching styles and trends in an inclusive and diverse environment.

Congratulations on being selected as the sole Southeast Asian designer for the #SHEINFORALL Spring/Summer 2022 Virtual Runway Show. How did you get into the race to secure the spot?
My first collection with SHEIN in 2021 did very well, and I was chosen for the fashion show based on the response I received in that collection. 
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Tell us about your collection&mdash;inspiration, design, fabric, pattern, silhouette&mdash;and the kind of female you envision wearing your outfits?
The textile print is a signature print of mine, based on my MIRRO&rsquo;s Garden series of artworks. For this particular &ldquo;Walk in The Garden&rdquo; SHEIN collection, the print was inspired by breezy, romantic afternoon/evening walks in a garden or meadow filled with wildflower and plants. 
For the garments, I had a bold woman in mind while designing. A woman who wants to be casual yet makes a statement with a fun print.
I envisioned an outfit that would flow and sway as you walk, and so the flowers would move as you move, depicting flowers in the wind. I designed a wide-legged jumpsuit with &ldquo;butterfly wings&rdquo;, and a dress with a mesh top and tiered skirt to create this effect. 
For the crop blouse and midi skirt, I wanted a little structure&mdash;for the clothing to act like a canvas to display the floral artwork. I also wanted this outfit to be an easy fit into anyone&rsquo;s wardrobe. Classic silhouettes with a statement signature MIRRO print. Easy to match with anything you have in your wardrobe.

What was the experience like in terms of preparation, styling, model choice, et cetera?
As this was a creative partnership between SHEIN and me, I was tasked to create the collections and the fabrics, and SHEIN would handle the preparation, styling, and model choice. 
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How was the show empowering in the celebration of body inclusivity and diversity?
It&rsquo;s always great to see models of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds walk fashion runways. Hailing from Southeast Asia, I&rsquo;m proud to see the representation of Southeast Asian designers and models on a global platform. There&rsquo;s always room for more representation!

How do you juggle so many endeavors as a fashion designer, and also a multidisciplinary artist and entrepreneur? Which hat is the hardest to wear?
My work week involves a few days of wearing the artist/designer hat, and a few days in entrepreneur mode.
I also hire freelancers as and when needed to run the business and operations. For a few years, I have been a one-woman show, intentionally as I wanted the time and focus to explore my art and creative direction, without the responsibility of managing a team. My brand, Project MIRRO, an online shop where I sell my art on products, was just a side project that I worked on when I had extra time. 
However, for the past two years, Project MIRRO grew exponentially, beyond what I can handle alone, so I am now setting up a team to assist me in marketing and operations. It&rsquo;s hard to juggle being an entrepreneur, as sometimes it is in conflict with me being an artist. Not everything that I do, (art-wise) would necessarily be profitable and is meant for commercial purposes. I don&rsquo;t make art for profit, yet I need profits to be financially stable and do art&mdash;I need to always balance the sweet spot between the two to make it work.

What kick-started your journey in fashion? How was working with SHEIN a learning experience for the present and future? 
My journey in fashion started really early. At four years old, I was already cutting up my mother&rsquo;s batik to experiment on textiles. I also took fashion illustration classes at a college while still in high school. I went on to study Fashion Marketing, Communications and Textiles at Raffles Design Institute (Kuala Lumpur and Singapore), London College of Fashion, and Chelsea College of Arts. 
My background has always been in fashion and textiles, even though work-wise, post graduation, I decided to focus more on the corporate side of the creative field first. I worked in marketing and business development for multiple lifestyle brands, including fashion, jewellery, furniture design, and also managed events like creative arts festivals. After a few years of honing my business skills, I then I decided to become a full-time artist and designer. 
Working with SHEIN, and brands like SHEIN, helps me, a small-time creator, understand the technicalities of working behind the scenes with large retailers, creating collections for the masses&mdash;without the need to join a large company for the experience. I&rsquo;ve always loved collaborations and partnerships as I learn a lot more from working with different companies, instead of staying put in one. I also have more creative freedom this way. 
In terms of what&rsquo;s next, I really hope that I&rsquo;m able to partner up with a like-minded fashion designer to create a seasonal capsule collection together. It is my dream to be part of a duo creative team, a textile designer + fashion designer label.&nbsp;

What inspires you in art and design?
Flowers and plants; textures you find in nature; landscapes and beautiful scenery; fashion and textiles; people and emotions; architecture and interior design&mdash;I combine all these elements to create my artworks. 
&nbsp;
What is your biggest joy and challenge as a young creative and what keeps you going when the going gets tough?
My biggest joy would be creating a collection that I am very proud of, that also does very well with my target audience. The biggest challenge is creating a collection that&rsquo;s fresh, timeless and non-repetitive&mdash;a collection that speaks to my target audience but also honours my need to experiment with design and do something &ldquo;new&rdquo; and out of the box. 
When the going gets tough, I usually take a break to come back with fresh eyes and fresh energy. It&rsquo;s a marathon, not a sprint! There are always going to be challenges in everything that&rsquo;s worthwhile, so I just deal with it when it comes.

As a female artist and designer, what advice would you give your younger self before embarking on a creative career? 
I would tell myself that it&rsquo;s always okay to do things differently than everyone else and to always stick to going above and beyond. I had a lot of doubts about being a creative and working in the arts. It didn&rsquo;t help that there are negative stigmas surrounding being a &ldquo;struggling artist&rdquo;. I would advise all young creatives to stick it out, tune out the noise and focus on the art. Lots of people will have lots of things to say, but what matters is what you think and what makes you happy. 
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If you had the power to make a change, what would you wish to be different or done differently in the fashion world?
I wish that more research and investment could be pumped into creating biodegradable textiles. Textiles that are able to degrade in the landfills quickly and benefit the soil, instead of the opposite. These textiles must also be affordable and accessible to clothing companies globally, so that biodegradable textiles can become the main type of textiles used in fashion.&nbsp;

SHEIN X Miriam Omar is now available on <a href="https://my.shein.com/trends/SHEIN-X-Miriam-Omar-sc-00655627.html?ref=asia&amp;rep=dir&amp;ret=my">my.shein.com</a>.

Malaysian designer Miriam Omar on mastering the art and business of fashion

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